The idea of a Chromium based Edge probably came from Mobile

When Microsoft announced a new browser replacing the clunky Internet Explorer with a refreshed, lightweight and modern browser, the industry had a lot of expectation from the new browser, Microsoft Edge. Though, what followed was a release of a half baked browser with the initial version of Windows 10. The blue logo with "e" didn't help with the visual cues for user as well. That combining with the lack of extension and customization, Microsoft had a browser which needed some serious attention.

It's been three plus years since that happened, Microsoft has been refining Edge and adding new features to it but rather slowly as compared to the competition. The updates came with the major Windows 10 updates, that happened at irregular points of time before Microsoft decided to stick to two releases from last year. Extension support came almost after one year and the selection is still limited. Meanwhile, the demise of Windows 10 Mobile relieved the Edge team of updating it's mobile browser but Microsoft knew they had to keep their browser relevant to users, only way to achieve that was to release the browser to other mobile platforms. Hence they released Edge for iOS and Android, only this time, the browser was based on the web engine supported in the platforms, WebKit for iOS and Blink for Android.

Catching up! Windows, Android and more.

My dear followers and readers, I've not been actively engaged in blogging over the past year. Now I kind of look back at what happened last year, the biggest change in me has been the shift of interest from writing technical stuff to the artistic way of writing. Yes, you read that right, I've been lately writing quotes, poems and short stories at MycroLines. 

The last post I wrote was about a Windows Insider build. Since then we have had around 50 odd builds. But I'm not going to write anymore of builds, unless it brings something substantial. As time progressed, I've seen Windows phones going dark. Yes, my old Lumia 535 is now with my dad and my primary phone is a Android device. You can ask me, how difficult was the transition from Windows to Android was? I would say it was seamless, I managed to import all my outlook contacts into Google contacts using the in-built tool. I could have sticked to Windows phone but it was never a story that was going to succeed. Microsoft's actions to shift focus to third party platforms meant that apps were getting better in rival platforms while Windows phones were left behind sub-par experiences.

Why Android?

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality apps found in the Play Store, coming from an lacklustre app experience from Windows phones, Android as a platform, has a number of quality apps. I'll not talk about the quantity of apps because no one is going to install every app in their phone but whatever the need is, there is an app for you. This is why Android is the most preferred mobile OS, and it is the same reason why Windows phones never grew. Android is Open source, hence the OEM's have the capability of tailoring the experiences for their devices. My Redmi 3s runs MIUI 8.5 on top of Marshmallow. Before someone quickly dismisses MIUI as a clone of iOS, I can confidently say that it is a general misconception. At the first glance, the layout of home screen might resemble the iOS screen but it is Android, in very nature, supports high level of customization. I've started liking MIUI and the next major update, MIUI 9 is just around the corner making the Android experience a little more sweeter.

Windows, tablets and PCs.

I have tried Linux, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint and the beautiful Elementary OS. Although they are wonderful platforms, they share the same problem as Windows phones, lack of apps. Windows in PC is still the most productive desktop OS you'll ever need. Windows 10 with each update is progressing towards a unified and feature rich platform. The tablet and notebook experiences are moving together shared experiences in harmony. The integration of Cortana, OneDrive and Office in Windows,Android and iOS is forming a solid foundation for the future of Windows. At the end of the day, I'll still take Windows on a PC.

In the end, as a tech enthusiast, I believe it is good to stick with what works for you rather than worrying about the small differences and problems in the platform. Whichever the platform is, staying productive is the main purpose.

Windows 10 Build 14390 is available for PC and Mobile.

Hello Insiders, we have a new build waiting for us to test. Just like the previous builds, this one too concentrates on fixing those last of few bugs remaining in Anniversary update. We might very well get the RTM as soon as next week which will then be followed by small cumulative updates in order to make the Anniversary update available on August 2 worldwide for the general public.

Microsoft has fixed several bugs, significant ones include Improved Battery Life on Windows phones and overall polish and performance. Amazon assistant is a new extension available for Microsoft Edge. This build takes us almost there!

Improvements and fixes for PC

• You should no longer see the error code 0x80004005 when enabling Developer Mode on the “For Developers” Settings page if your PC is using a non-EN-US language.

Known issues for PC

• AWARENESS: A recent fix went into place for the Hyper-V firmware that will that affect the ability to boot Windows Server 2016 Tech Preview 5 VMs with Secure Boot enabled. A fix for TP5 builds has been developed however, due to release schedules, the Insider Preview build changes will be released before the TP5 fix is released. During that time, if you try to boot a new TP5 VM with Secure Boot enabled, it will fail. The workaround is to disable Secure Boot during this period.

Windows 10 Build 14383 is available for PC and Mobile.

Microsoft has just released a new build to insiders in the fast ring. Windows 10 build 14383 as expected brings a lots of fixes as the anniversary update is nearly done and set to be released on August 2 for both PC and Mobile devices. Microsoft will continue to release builds mostly with fixes this month. Key fixes include improved accessibility to Extensions in Store and battery life in mobile ( Yay!).

Improvements and fixes for PC

• The link to “Get more extensions from the Store” under the Extensions pane in Microsoft Edge now takes you directly to the Store to download available extensions.
• We have changed the keyboard shortcut to invoke Cortana in listening mode to Win + Shift + C based on feedback from Insiders experiencing a large number of unintended activations of Cortana while in listening mode. Speaking “Hey Cortana”, when enabled in Cortana Settings, continues to invoke Cortana in listening mode as it always has.
• Going forward from this build, updates to the Quick Action area of Action Center will be preserved across upgrades.
• We fixed an issue where disconnecting the Surface Book from an external monitor set as primary might result in the Surface Book screen showing in portrait rather than landscape until having detached and reattached the screen.
• We fixed an issue where the Settings app was showing media controls in the taskbar preview window.
• We fixed an issue where dragging the file comparison or manage library dialogs between two monitors with different DPIs would result in the dialog content no longer displaying correctly
• We fixed an issue where the checkmark used to indicate a selected state in app bar toggle buttons wasn’t visible in high contrast, for example in the Photos menu under “…”.
• We fixed an issue where connecting to a PC using Remote Desktop when a maximized window is immediately behind the Remote Desktop dialog would result in the subsequent the Credential UI window being displayed behind the maximized window.
• We fixed an issue where, with certain monitor configurations, Explorer.exe would hang after a tooltip is displaying.

Microsoft Edge will become my primary browser but WHY ?

If you have been following me for a long time, you probably know that Chrome has been my browser of choice since I started blogging but that is about to change for several *good* reasons. With the recent tests and improvements made to Edge, it is time to reconsider the options available in the market.

What's wrong with Chrome ?

Chrome once represented what a modern browser should be. Be it the extensions and themes support or the simplicity of it's UI combined with good performance kept me hooked to it for a long time in my desktop. It still has all these features with Sync using Google account being a very useful feature for Android users.

Windows 10 Build 10586.318 available for PC and Mobile devices. Full changelog

Microsoft has released this month's cumulative update for both smartphones and PC's running Windows 10. The update pushes the build number to 10586.318 and it is available for Windows Insiders in Release Preview Ring and to devices running Windows 10 officially. As it is another cumulative update, there is no new features added but there is a good amount of bug fixes for the two platforms. Here are the changes

Windows 10 PC

• Improved reliability in a number of areas including Cortana, Bluetooth, Shell, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge, Miracast, and USB.
• Fixed memory leak that occurs when opening a portable document format (PDF) form multiple times.
• Fixed issues with text alignment for right to left languages in Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge.
• Fixed issue that affected Bluetooth function when a PC resumes from sleep.
• Fixed issue where user accounts weren't locked out after a number of failed sign in attempts.
• Fixed issue with revised daylight saving time.
• Fixed issue that sometimes corrupts CompactFlash cards inserted into a card reader.
• Fixed additional security issues with kernel mode drivers, remote procedure calls, the Microsoft Graphics Component, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge, Windows Shell, Windows Journal, Virtual Secure Mode, Schannel, and Jscript.
  

Windows 10 costs upto $199 after the offer ends, Upgrade now !

Microsoft has confirmed that the free upgrade to Windows 10 will be ending on July 29 as it was announced last year during the launch. As of now 300 million devices are in Windows 10 and Microsoft plans to get on 1 billion devices to Windows 10 in the next few years, for this target. free upgrade is supposed to act as a catalyst to the growth of the new platform. With less than three months remaining for the offer, the pricing of Windows 10 has reached the internet.

Here is the how the pricing of Windows 10 looks like after the offer ends

After July 29, 2016

Windows 10 Home: $119.99

Windows 10 Pro: $199.99

The pricing is very similar to how Microsoft priced their previous generation operating systems. Even the retail editions of Windows 10 which are available for purchase in Microsoft Store lists the same pricing. So it is pretty obvious that Microsoft would not change the pricing. In case you are wondering what are the differences between Home and Pro editions, you can find them here.

Microsoft has been very committed to actively update Windows 10 with new features and reliability updates. November update ( aka TH2 or build 10586) brought a plethora of improvements over the initial version such as improved snapping,colored title bars and more optimizations to the overall performance and reliability.

Windows 10 Mobile has a future,a different one though

Windows 10 Mobile has been recently under the spotlight for several unintentional theories of the platform's future. This post is to discuss about the recent controversies that Windows Platform or specifically Windows phone platform has been going through since the last few months .What actually fuelled these controversies is the delay in W10M roll-out for the older devices and the ever shrinking market share of Windows Phone in the recent years. Looking at all this flood of posts, We decided to make it a little clear .

Let's kick off by talking about the instability of Windows 10 on Phones. Windows 10 Mobile has been in the Insider program for a long time but the RTM version took more time than expected to land on the old devices while the new flagship devices were continuously objected for having software with lot of bugs. Even though Microsoft clarified that monthly updates (named Cumulative Updates) will be shipped to devices and the bugs will be eventually ironed out, consumers couldn't stand the initial instability of the software in their flagship device.

[Updated] Unlisted changes and issues in Windows 10 Mobile 14327

Microsoft dropped a new build earlier today for Fast ring Insiders for their mobiles, Windows 10 Mobile build 14327 comes with a couple of noteworthy features with messaging and availability of Cortana in new languages. The build packs a quite a bunch of bug fixes, importantly the app launch issue from start screen and apps list. You can find them here.

Now let's jump into the unlisted bugs and changes in the build.

1) Battery settings gets a better UI.

  Battery saver settings were merged under a single screen in the last build, this build further polishes the UI, the remaining percentage is shown in bigger font with the estimated time remaining under it. Also you can now find a quick link to battery saving tips in the bottom of the settings screen. I personally feel that battery life is a little bit improved over the previous build.

2) Store now shows notification for app updates and app installs. 

New issues and changes with Windows 10 Mobile build 14322

Windows 10 Mobile came out earlier today and it has brought a host of new features such as improved action center, play back controls on the lock screen and a few more. Not only that, it fixes many bugs ( almost 19 fixes ! ) Pretty cool. Check here for the changes.

That doesn't mean that we don't have any bugs in this build, a handful of them are listed in the Windows Blog. Now let me add some more to the list.

1. Camera app fails to work properly in Lumia 535 after upgrading from 14295.The app opens and shows this error. The workaround is to use third party apps like Camera360 Sight or OneShot. Resetting your device doesn't fix the issue unfortunately :( Have to wait for a update for Camera or a new build.
   
   

   

   Upvote this feedback to report the issue : feedback-hub:?contextid=6&feedbackid=423b562c-4cb4-42b2-88ed-a296453f26b1&form=2&src=2
   
   

Lumia 650, Tip of the ice berg ?

Microsoft's latest Lumia has been under the scanner from last week for its fantastic design and also for its lower than expected internals. So why ? Why has Microsoft kept the specifications of their Windows 10 mid ranger below expectations ? There is one answer, Windows 10!

Microsoft has been trying to boost the market share of Windows phone since it bought Nokia, they've been releasing low end phones back to back but the consumer interest remained the same. Even though the low end Lumias pack enough power to provide exceptional value for money, unfortunately they never took off. Of course devices like Lumia 640,535 & 540 were hit in the Asian and European markets.

Halting Android Windows Bridge (Astoria) makes sense!

I know most of the people who follow Microsoft closely were elated when they announced Project Astoria in BUILD conference, a Windows Bridge for porting Android apps. That meant that the app gap will finally be covered as developers would find it easy to bring their apps to Windows (Phone) Platform. Microsoft even went ahead and set core of Windows 10 Mobile to run Android apps via side-loading!

 

But then it happened, Microsoft slowly back tracked the progress of this specific bridge and remained tight lipped for what seemed to be a very long time until recently. They removed the core components of Android subsystems with newer builds and I think that was because it had significant impact on performance the OS. I had always wondered how Microsoft could bring Android apps without the well known problem of Android, performance!

Windows Update MiniTool lets you control Windows Updates in Windows 10

If there is one thing that most power users regret over upgrading to Windows 10 is, it will be the lack of controlling Windows Updates as they could do in the previous versions of Windows. Windows 10 Home is set to automatic updates while the Windows 10 Pro offers a little more control by deferring the updates for few months. Also I personally find the new Windows Update lacking a lot of information, importantly the size of updates is a big deal for me as it would help to calculate the required time for the process. This is where Windows Update MiniTool comes as a handy solution.

The tool provides the necessary details and goes beyond the basics by providing granular control over how Updates are installed in your PC. You can actually select any of the given modes such as Download only,Notification mode, Schedule or Disable it completely though it is not recommended to do so.

How to set a custom search Engine as default in Microsoft Edge Mobile

If you're using the latest build of Windows 10 Mobile preview ( Build 10581),then you all know that the default search engine in Microsoft Edge is Bing and there is no way to change it. But you can change it with a couple of changes.

Follow the steps to set the search engine of your choice. In the below example, I will set Google as the default one.

By default Bing is the only search engine in Edge

1) Navigate to www.google.com

2) Now Open settings in Edge browser and set the website preference to "Desktop".

Windows 10 event : Watch it live !

So the big day for Microsoft is here. Today's Windows 10 event will mark the official announcement of many new devices from Microsoft with Windows 10 Mobile being one of the important announcements and yes, we are getting the Windows flagships after a long time, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.

What to expect : 

Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL 

Microsoft has already confirmed these devices. Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are bound to arrive with 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch display, respectively, both boasting QHD resolution. The larger model takes advantage of a Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, while the smaller one relies on a Snapdragon 808 processor with the same amount of RAM and storage. The Lumia 950 XL works with a 3,300mAh battery, while the Lumia 950 has a smaller 3,000mAh battery. Both the models will have expandable storage with a Micro SD card slot supporting upto 128GB.

Lumia 950

Lumia 950 XL

They share a 5MP front shooter with Iris scanner for Windows Hello and 20 MP PureView rear camera with triple LED flash.Both these devices will feature Continuum and have USB type C connectors for quick charging and wireless charging is included.

Nearly 700,000 apps in Windows Store !

Windows 10 is having a successful run across the globe despite the privacy problems. Softpedia reports that Microsoft has stated that there are 669,000 apps available for download in Windows Store. This includes mobiles,tablets and PC's combined and it is not clear on how many of them are Universal apps.

It is interesting to see the growth rate of Windows 10 and Apps, definitely there is a increase in interest from the developers to bring their apps to Windows Store as it has the potential to reach millions of people using Windows in devices with different form factors, all with a single code. Also the report states that the number of apps is rapidly growing as hundreds of apps are added each day. Even though it sounds quite positive, Microsoft should make sure that the quality of the apps is maintained as the numbers make no sense when the apps are just clones or fake. They have already faced this scenario with Windows 8.x and with Windows 10 in 75 million devices already and still rolling out to millions of people coming from Windows 7, Microsoft should take care of this issue seriously.

Getting Windows 10 ISO? A small tip for you people

Windows 10 is everywhere! Running on more than 18 million PC's within few days of the launch is a very impressive record and all credits go to  Microsoft for that. But sometimes, the upgrade doesn't go well or you may need to upgrade multiple PC's for which the Windows Update mechanism turns out to be painfully slow and uses lot of your data. Most of you must have come across the Windows 10 media creation tool which will let you download the Image file and use it in other PC's but still I find that tool lacks the capability of pausing and resuming the download.

I found this new trick when I was browsing the Download Windows 10 page in Lumia 535, the website showed direct links to the ISO files rather than showing Windows 10 Media Creation tool which makes downloading Windows 10 ISO via a download manager like Internet Download Manager which can help in managing the download flexibly with ability to pause and continue whenever you want to.

Microsoft launches the new Lumia 540 DS with HD display

The newly announced Microsoft Lumia 540 adds to the latest generation of Lumia devices which currently holds Lumia 640 and it's bigger sibling, the Lumia 640XL.

  As the name suggests, Lumia 540 Dual SIM is yet another affordable Lumia with impressive features. The looks of it has been inspired by the long gone Asha series and the other Lumia's. It's instantly identifiable as a Lumia all the way. It comes with a big enough 5" screen with 720p resolution which converts into 294 ppi. Again it has a 1.2 GHz quad core snapdragon 200 processor and 1GB RAM with 8GB internal storage. It runs the latest version of Windows phone with Lumia denim. What has improved is the camera, the rear holds a better 8MP shooter with LED flash coupled with 5MP wide angle camera in the front. Also the battery is now bigger to support the resolution, it has a powerful 2200mAH battery. The only thing missing from the Lumia 540 is the Gorilla glass 3, which is present in the Lumia 535.So you'll have to purchase a screen guard with it to keep away scratches. Available at $149 with orange,green,black and white colours, the Lumia 540 is a steal deal. The Lumia devices provides a lot of options for consumers to choose from, which is good for Microsoft.

Note : This post was typed from my new Lumia 535 using Pin Blogger app.

Microsoft launches Lumia 532 and Lumia 435

If you are looking for Windows Phone which are affordable then these days are working in favor of you. We've been seeing a lot of budget devices from Microsoft and other OEM's since the launch of Windows Phone 8.1 in April last year. Microsoft has made a great start this year with two new budget devices, Lumia 435, the first of 400 series and the other being the better version of Lumia 530, Lumia 532.

Interestingly these devices have decent specifications but given their price tag, they are impressive phones. Both the Lumias sport an 4" WVGA screen, 1 GB RAM,8GB ROM and 1560 mAH battery and you can expand the storage up to 128 GB with Micro-SD slot. Both run Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim, the latest firmware update for Lumia devices. As usual,both support 3G connectivity.But the difference comes in the camera department as the Lumia 435 sports a 2MP rear shooter and VGA front camera while the Lumia 532 houses a better 5MP rear fixed focus camera and a VGA selfie shooter. In the processing department also the Lumia 532 has a faster 1.2 GHz Snapdragon Quad-core processor whereas the little boy, Lumia 435 is powered by a dual-core snapdragon 200 processor clocked at same 1.2 GHz. Both the phones will be available in white,green,black and orange with swap-able shells available for purchase. 

Lumia 435

Lumia 435 is the first of it's series and it's main aim is to replace the old Asha series and it looks like it's going to do it with ease as is the specifications of this little budget beast as compared to it's older cousins, the asha series. More over the design of this device is derived from the Asha devices.

Lumia 532 

Lumia 532 aims to heal away the patches left by Lumia 530. Lumia 532 solves the all the problems found with 530 as it lacked a front camera and had only 4 GB internal storage and just 512 MB RAM. Moreover, this device has the right combination of features and hardware, the glance screen should be enough to make it stand out in the budget crowd filled with Android devices.For those who don't know about Glance Screen, it's a simple and easy way to check your notifications without unlocking your phone. It's pricing is also more or less equal to that of Lumia 530 and that sounds like a good offer. This is the perfect predecessor to the successful Lumia 535. 

Lumia 532 Glance screen in action

Both the devices look similar to Nokia asha and X series devices with square corners. Importantly it's good to see Microsoft learning from it's previous devices and improving the newer ones. People have always been disturbed by 4 GB storage and 512 MB RAM combination in android devices and they never wanted this to continue in Windows Phone environment. Microsoft got that point and have delivered the perfect budget kings with right price and features.These two devices will get Windows 10 when released later this year and they will run it pretty easily, thanks to their solid specifications .
They will be priced around 69( R.5000/$80) euros for Lumia 435 and 79 euros for Lumia 532(Rs.5600/$95).

What do you think about the budget devices launched by Microsoft in the recent days ? Will you buy any one of them.

Windows 10 : Notification center in action

It's Windows 9 everywhere. One more video from WinFuture shows us how the Notification Center in Windows 9 works.

Windows 9 is making headlines often these days and it comes with a set powerful features which will appeal the consumers to switch from older version to the latest of Windows family. The notification center is a major improvement over the notifications seen in Windows 8.1. Now you can see what happened and what is happening right from a single notifications Windows which sits in the taskbar.

It seems that all the pre-installed apps have been updated to give notifications which can be recorded in the notification center. This feature was one of the most rumored feature for Windows 9 when talks started about it.It's getting better as we talk.